Workshop Title: Grantor’s Insights: A Panel Discussion, Outlook for 2024
Speaker: Nelida Valentin
Title: Vice President of Grants and Programs
Organization: Princeton Area Community Foundation
Website: Princeton Area Community Foundation
Social Links:
LinkedIn: Princeton Area Community Foundation
FB: Princeton Area Community Foundation
Twitter (X): @princetonareacf
Bio:
Nelida Valentin serves as Vice President of Grants and Programs for the Princeton Area Community Foundation in NJ where she engages in promoting community philanthropy to support the foundations mission of “promoting philanthropy to advance the well-being of our communities forever”.
Prior to PACF, she served as Director of Cluster and Business Development, at NJIT’s Innovation Institute, a corporation of NJIT that applies intellectual and technological resources to challenges identified by industry partners. Nelida was also the former Executive Director of the Newark Workforce Investment Board where she led the 501c3 NWIB Corporation, coached central office workforce operations and supported its trustees in their mission to guide the direction and policy development of the Newark Workforce Career Center.
Born and raised in Newark, NJ, Ms. Valentin began her career in public service in 1987 with the State of New Jersey and served 21 years in various capacities of State service including, the Department of Community Affairs (DCA), the Department of Human Services, Department of Education, and the NJ Department of Transportation. Ms. Valentin led the Hispanic Leadership Opportunity Program, funded by the Ford Foundation at La Casa de Don Pedro in Newark.
In 2001, Ms. Valentin started the Center for Leadership Development at Thomas Edison State College and launched Leadership Trenton in 2001. Leadership Trenton was a civic leadership development program sponsored in collaboration with the Partnership for New Jersey.
Nelida holds a bachelor’s degree in business studies from Stockton State University in Pomona, New Jersey, and a master’s degree from Rutgers University – Eagleton Institute. She is a graduate of Leadership New Jersey and received a certificate of study on the Art and Practice of Leadership series at the John F. Kennedy School of Government and Politics at Harvard University. Ms. Valentin taught adjunct graduate study in Leadership and Diversity for Rutgers University’s Executive MPA Program.
